Two Years Down

Last weekend, I turned 32. The year I turned 30, I made a list of 100 things to do by the time I was 40. Two years in, and I'm happy to say I've actually done some of the things on my list. The point was that I wanted my 30s to be great. My 20s were okay, but I believe that we get better as we get older, and I wanted to continue to do things. Lots of things...varied things.

Even though I've only crossed off a few things on the list, I've also done all kinds of other things that I never even comprehended. I never anticipated going to a Lords of Acid concert or being a Passion Party consultant. I couldn't have anticipated the friends I'd have or the things I'd experience. Even if I don't reach my 100 items goal, I'm going for quality over quantity.

To recap, this is what I've crossed off my list so far (in no particular order):

1. Walk the Relay for Life - This was one of the first things I did. Unfortunately, we didn't make the whole night due to a Kansas thunderstorm, but heading up the group was a good experience and I'm glad I did it.

2. Get married - It was kind of a no-brainer, but we hadn't yet made plans when I made the list. I have no complaints. I'm a lucky lucky woman.

3. Knit or crochet a hat - Knitting is my craft of choice, and I've done this one many times over.

4. Knit or crochet a purse - I've done this once. It wasn't the best purse, but it was alright for a starter project. I'd like to make more, but I always find something more interesting to knit that doesn't require stitching.

5. Open an Etsy store - For something I put off for so long, this was really easy. I sold one thing. I wouldn't call it a success, but I wouldn't call it a failure either. I'd like to try to list more things in the future and see what else I can put out there.

6. See a musical - Jon and I got to see "Avenue Q" on stage when it come to K-State. It was an amazing show.

7. Bake homemade bread from scratch - This is an idea from my more domestic phase, but I did manage to do, even in our tiny kitchen. It was a little bit flat, but it tasted great. In the future, I can see myself baking more, even though I prefer fast rise breads.

8. Do my own online radio show - This was really short lived. Life got busy and I lost my motivation. It was a fun experience though. I've since thought of doing a webcast, but the radio show proved I wasn't cut out for long term on-air time.

9. Run a D&D Campaign - It took me forever to get up the nerve to run a game, but I finally did it thanks to the user friendly 4th edition of the game. A year later, my game is still going. I love my gaming group and I love the storyline I created. I'm no longer writing my own full encounters, but the basic storyline I created is still there, and I throw in my own flair when the urge hits.

10. Ask for a raise - Right after I did this, several things changed with regards to the work I was doing, but the act of doing it was an accomplishment in itself. It's hard to put yourself out there with something like this. Somehow, I managed to do it.

11. Go to a sci-fi, webcomic, or gaming convention - GenCon. Nothing else needs to be said.